A Compact History of Latin America's Cold War

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218 pp., 6.125 x 9.25

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4696-6976-2
Published: October 2022
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4696-6975-5
Published: October 2022
E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-1-4696-6977-9
Published: September 2022
E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-6105-4
Published: September 2022

Latin America in Translation

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While not commonly centered in the Cold War story, Latin America was intensely affected by that historic conflict. In this book, available for the first time in English, Vanni Pettinà makes sense of the region's diverse, complex political experiences of the Cold War era. Cross-fertilized by Latin American and Anglophone historiography, his account shifts from an overemphasis on U.S. interventions toward a comprehensive Latin American perspective. Connecting Cold War events to the region's political polarizations, revolutionary mobilizations, draconian state repression, and brutal violence in almost every sphere, Pettinà demonstrates that Latin America's Cold War was rarely cold.

In the midst of the tumult, some countries showed resilience and capacity to bend the disruptive dynamics to their advantage. Mexico, for example, drew on a mix of nationalism and anticommunism, aided by the United States, to achieve strong economic growth and political stability. Cuba, in contrast, used Soviet protection to shield its revolution from the United States and to strengthen its capacity to project power in Latin America and beyond. Interweaving global and local developments along an insightful analytical frame, Pettinà reveals the distinct consequences of the Cold War in the Western Hemisphere.

About the Authors

Vanni Pettinà is associate professor of Latin American international history at El Colegio de México. He is coeditor of Latin America and the Global Cold War.
For more information about Vanni Pettinà, visit the Author Page.

Quentin Pope is a translator and editor who lives in Mexico.
For more information about Quentin Pope, visit the Author Page.

Reviews

"A Compact History of Latin Ameria's Cold War shines a light on the role of Latin American nations on both sides of the region’s bitter conflicts. . . . Pettinà’s nuanced interpretation has something to offer even the most ardent anti-imperialists."—Jacobin

"Convincingly advances the notion that any good analysis of the Cold War in Latin America should acknowledge the fact that the global bifurcation of the world along conflicting ideologies and economic projects was paralleled in Latin America by an internal rivalry [Pettinà] calls an internal fracture. . . . An innovative study perfectly suited for classroom use."—Latin Americanist

"Pettinà’s superb book—by turns ambitious, wide-ranging, iconoclastic, and razor-sharp—is now available to English-language readers courtesy of Quentin Pope’s fine translation. . . . A Compact History of Latin America’s Cold War should offer students and faculty in the Anglophone world a logical starting point for study, while being concise and accessible enough to appeal farbeyond the academy."—NACLA Report on the Americas

“A deep and astute look at . . . the effects of the cold war on Latin America from a unique Latin American perspective.”—CounterPunch

“Important, well-argued . . . anyone interested in Latin America’s Cold War will profit immensely from this book.”—Hispanic American Historical Review

"An ambitious book that deserves to become required reading for students and scholars interested in this pivotal phase in the region’s history."—H-LatAm